Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are soft, fluffy, and almost cake-like, with plenty of pumpkin, warm fall spices, and mini chocolate chips in every bite.

They're not trying to be a chewy chocolate chip cookie with a little pumpkin added. These are full-on pumpkin cookies - thick, tender, warmly spiced, and especially good when they're still a little warm and the chocolate is melty.

The Pumpkin Cookie I Wanted to Make at Home

I first had a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie at the Proctor Farmers Market and immediately loved the combination.

Pumpkin. Warm spices. Chocolate.

It was one of those things that made me think, I need to make this at home.

This recipe became my version.

And years later, it is still exactly what I want from a pumpkin cookie: soft in the middle, packed with pumpkin flavor, and chocolatey without turning into just another chocolate chip cookie.

These Are Soft, Cake-Like Cookies

This is the most important thing to know before you make them.

These cookies are not crisp or chewy.

The pumpkin adds a lot of moisture, so the finished cookies are soft and tender with an almost cake-like crumb. Think little handheld pieces of pumpkin cake with chocolate chips throughout.

If that's your kind of cookie, you're in the right place.

What Makes These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Work

The recipe uses an entire 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree, so the pumpkin isn't just there for color or a little seasonal flavor. You can actually taste it.

Both brown sugar and granulated sugar give the cookies sweetness, while cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, and allspice build that warm fall flavor around the pumpkin.

Then there are the mini semisweet chocolate chips.

I like the minis here because you get little pockets of chocolate throughout the soft cookie instead of a few oversized bites dominating everything.

• Pumpkin puree: Use one 15-ounce can of plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
• Butter and eggs: Bring both to room temperature before mixing. The butter should be softened, not melted.
• Sugars: This recipe uses both granulated and brown sugar.
• Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, and allspice give the cookies their warm fall flavor.
• Chocolate: Mini semisweet chocolate chips spread little pockets of chocolate throughout each cookie.

The complete ingredient list and measurements are in the recipe card below.

How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Start by creaming the softened butter until smooth, then beat in both sugars for about 3 minutes. You want the mixture light and fluffy before the eggs go in.

While that's mixing, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a separate bowl.

Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin.

Once the pumpkin is incorporated, add the dry ingredients in thirds with the mixer running on low. Scrape down the bowl between additions and stop mixing as soon as everything comes together.

Fold the mini chocolate chips in by hand.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350°F for about 10-13 minutes.

You're looking for cookies that are lightly golden and feel soft and spongy on top. Don't wait for them to look crisp like a traditional chocolate chip cookie - that isn't the texture of this recipe.

Let them sit on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

And absolutely eat one warm.

A Few Things That Make a Difference

Cream the butter and sugars long enough

Give the butter and sugars about 3 minutes together. You want the mixture light and fluffy before moving on. That helps give these cookies their soft texture.

Don't overmix after adding the flour

Once the dry ingredients go in, mix gently and only until everything is incorporated. Fold the chocolate chips in by hand.

Keep the cookie scoops similar in size

They don't need to be perfect, but keeping the portions approximately the same size helps the whole tray bake evenly.

Don't wait for a crisp cookie

A soft, slightly springy top is what you want. These cookies are intentionally tender and cake-like, so waiting for them to become crisp can mean overbaking them.

Pumpkin and Chocolate Just Work

I know pumpkin gets paired with cream cheese and maple all fall long, but chocolate might still be my favorite thing to put with it.

The semisweet chocolate cuts through the sweetness and all those warm spices without covering up the pumpkin.

That's probably why these disappear so quickly.

They're just as good piled onto a plate for a fall get-together as they are eaten over the kitchen counter before they've completely cooled.

More Pumpkin Baking

If you're already in the mood for pumpkin, don't stop here.

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread - another longtime JavaCupcake favorite with the same pumpkin-and-chocolate combination in a soft quick bread.
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies - a completely separate pumpkin cookie recipe made specifically for gluten-free baking.
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles - take the pumpkin-and-chocolate combination to the breakfast table.

Pick the one that sounds good and keep the pumpkin going.

If you make these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, leave a comment below and tell me how they turned out. I'd love to hear!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ready to bake? Gather your ingredients and follow the full recipe below.